Michael Vick Must Be Benched for 2012 to Begin Nick Foles Era

Michael Vick isn't the only cause for the debacle of a season the Philadelphia Eagles are having, currently 3-6 and all but assured a second consecutive year of missing the playoffs.

Yes, the early-season turnovers and Vick's apparent inability to run Andy Reid's offense have seriously hurt the Eagles this year, but so has a terrible offensive line, a defense that has consistently gotten worse and a group built by Reid that kills itself with penalties, mental errors and the lack of a winning attitude.

It's time for a change in Philadelphia. And that must start with Vick being demoted so that the Nick Foles era can begin.

And that might be exactly what happens, according to Jason Cole of Yahoo!, who suggests Vick might not ever regain his starting spot after sustaining a concussion on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys (though not for reasons Philly fans will be pleased with):

Two sources said Monday morning that it's a pretty strong bet that, barring an odd change in circumstances, Vick will be "rested" for the remainder of the season by Reid and the coaching staff. In place of Vick, rookie Nick Foles will start, and the sources believe Reid will use the development of Foles as a springboard to keep his job as the Eagles' coach.

"I'm 99 percent sure that's exactly what you're going to see happen," a source said Monday morning. "Andy is going to go to [owner] Jeff [Lurie] and [general manager] Howie [Roseman] and say, 'Let's go with Foles and make the transition to the next era.' "

The problem for Reid in that scenario is that there are very few people in Philadelphia who actually want him to keep his job at this point. The past season-and-a-half have left a sour taste in Philly's mouth, and Eagles fans are likely to point out that if you haven't won a Super Bowl by year 14, it isn't happening.

But for the Eagles, starting Foles now does make sense. If next year becomes a rebuilding season, Reid is fired and Vick is cut, it makes sense to see what you have in Foles now.

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If you think you've got a player who can handle the gig, you don't need to worry about adding another quarterback to compete for the job. If Foles looks poor the remainder of the way—and he was pretty good against the Cowboys, so that would surprise me—you focus on signing or drafting a quarterback.

There are benefits to starting Foles over Vick in the present as well.

He's a taller quarterback, so he sees the field better. He can't possibly make worse reads than Vick has this year. He has decent enough mobility, but he can't simply scoot away from pressure like Vick so he'll be forced to rely on timing and throwing into windows, staples of the old West Coast offense that the Eagles once ran under Andy Reid.

Let's keep it real—Vick never became the pure quarterback that Reid was hoping he would develop into. He's improved from his Atlanta Falcons days, but he's not what this Eagles offense needs at this point.

Its obvious enough that changes need to be made in Philadelphia. This team can't stay out of its own way at this point, and given the talent on this roster, that's a reflection of both the mental toughness of the players and the coaching overall.

Reid and Vick had their chance to succeed together in Philadelphia. They failed. It's time for the Foles era—or at least the Foles experiment—to begin for the Eagles, and after the season, it's time for a new coach as well.

The Eagles need a fresh start. And barring the surprise return of Vick and a miraculous seven-game winning streak to end the season and catapult the Eagles into the playoffs, a fresh start is exactly what will happen.

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